Fresh Corn Chowder in the Crock Pot

I've been living in denial.

If I had not bought my books and had not checked my class schedule, then school was definitely not starting soon, right?

WRONG.

Law school starts in a week.

I am so not ready.

These last two weeks of summer have been really busy, (what happened to slower summertime pace?) but I know they're a snail's pace compared to what life will be like this fall semester.

I know some people love fall, (sweaters! pumpkin everything! the leaves!) but right now I feel like I'm just waiting to get hit by a bus. A bus filled with cold weather, lonely nights studying, long days in the library, dreadfully heavy law school books, and stresssssssss.

I'm being a downer, I know. 

I'm so fortunate to have this opportunity, and many others would love to be in my position. I also have met some really beautiful, fun, and inspiring people in law school, and I'm excited to see their faces on a more regular basis. 

So basically, I just need to get over myself, right? 

I just want to have a better handle on this working hard/getting a lot done everyday thing without feeling like a total failure every time I don't finish enough things on my to-do list. Or read enough pages. Or study enough. Or exercise enough.

Enough. Enough. Enough. I want to remember that I'm enough, no matter what I accomplish in a day.  

I know I'm not alone in this struggle, and the book The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown has helped me a ton. Anyone else have advice on feeling enough? Any recommendations for staying sane during a really busy season? 

One thing that keeps me sane is loving on my person, and one way I show my love for Adam is by cooking for him every Thursday.

Thursdays are when he flies home from New York. He gets in around 8:30 or 9:00pm after working 12-14 hour days and staying in a hotel room alone and eating take-out every night. My hope is that when he opens the door to our house, he smells dinner waiting, and feels at home and loved.

During this busy week, I knew the homemade Thursday meal also needed to be (1) something unique and fresh so I could blog about it and (2) easy to prepare since I was working all day and needed at least some natural light to photograph it.

This soup fit the bill perfectly. It's fresh and summery with all the vibrant veggies, and it's easy to  prepare thanks to the crock pot.  You can also add a ridiculous amount of bacon and cheese and be really happy with yourself.

Serve with some crusty bread and a green salad for a perfect late summer/early fall meal.

Have a blessed week, friends.

Fresh Corn Chowder in the Crock Pot

Ingredients:
5 ears of fresh corn, with kernels carefully removed with a sharp knife
1 medium red pepper
1 medium orange pepper
1 large sweet Vidalia onion
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
salt & pepper
3 green onions
3-5 slices cooked bacon, diced
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese


Directions: 
Combine corn kernels, 2 corn cobs, peppers, onion, vegetable broth, chipotle pepper, and bay leaf in a crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Remove bay leaf and corn cobs. Turn heat to high. Microwave 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl until melted. Add 2 tablespoons flour to the melted butter and stir vigorously with a spoon until no lumps remain. Ladle in some broth from the crockpot into the butter/flour mixture. Continue stirring until mixture thickens and no lumps remain. Continue same process with 3 more ladles of broth, then add flour/butter/broth mixture into soup.

Add 1 cup milk and salt and pepper to taste. At this point, if you want your chowder to be thicker, you can use an immersion blender to blend some of the soup, or transfer a couple ladles of soup into a blender or food processor.

When soup is heated through, you can either add the onions, bacon and cheese and cook until cheese is melted, or you can set them aside as toppings for people to add to their soup. Your choice!

Notes: 

• To make gluten-free: Use gluten-free flour or nix flour all together.
• To make more rich: Use a combination of half and half or heavy cream with the milk or replace entirely. 
• To make vegan: Use vegetable broth and vegan butter & milk. And no bacon or cheese, obvi. 

Inspired by The Pioneer Woman.